Holden Geriner – Page 4 – Syndication Server

Where does Payton Thorne rank among SEC quarterbacks?

Auburn’s addition of Payton Thorne from the transfer portal helps immensely, but by how much? College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn breaks it down.

This upcoming college football season will be a reloading year for SEC quarterbacks.

Several of the top quarterbacks within the conference such as Alabama’s Bryce Young, Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker are now members of NFL franchises and have paved the way for new players to make their marks.

Despite the departure of the aforementioned household names, there will be a strong mix of returning talent and transfers, all looking to make a name for themselves.

Auburn is included in the mix, as Michigan State transfer [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has joined the conversation for the quarterback competition with [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag].

Following spring practice, as well as the closing of the spring transfer portal window, Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire broke down each SEC team’s projected started quarterback and ranked them according to projected production. With Thorne being the projected starter for Auburn, he makes Conn’s list at No. 10 within the SEC.

How can Thorne climb the ladder of the SEC quarterback rankings? Conn says that he needs to get back to his 2021 form.

It was a down year for Payton Thorne in East Lansing last season after putting up over 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2021. Thorne was a late addition to the transfer portal and chose to join Hugh Freeze on the Plains. He is the likely starter for Auburn, who has been looking for a quarterback in the transfer portal this offseason. If Thorne returns to his 2021 form, Auburn should be a lot more dangerous on offense.

After passing for 3,240 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2021, a season in which Thorne led Michigan State to a Peach Bowl win, he threw for just 2,679 yards and 19 scores in 2022.

Here is a complete look at College Sports Wire’s Spring QB rankings:

KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
Will Rogers, Mississippi State
Jayden Daniels, LSU
Devin Leary, Kentucky
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Joe Milton, Tennessee
Spencer Sanders, Ole Miss
Connor Weigman, Texas A&M
Graham Mertz, Florida
Payton Thorne, Auburn
Tyler Buchner, Alabama
Carson Beck, Georgia
AJ Swann, Vanderbilt
Brady Cook, Missouri

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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Top ten: The best games of Payton Thorne’s career at Michigan State

Thorne had several memorable performances during his time at Michigan State. Here’s a look back at his best work.

There has been a heavy buzz on the Plains surrounding the recent additions to the football program from the transfer portal.

Auburn has added an experienced offensive lineman in [autotag]Jaden Muskrat[/autotag], as well as a solid upgrade to the Jack position with [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag]. The wide receiver room has also received a bump with the transfer of [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag], a highly-touted high school prospect from the state of Texas. But the transfer that has made the most noise is the addition of former Michigan State quarterback, [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag].

Thorne was a staple of the 2021 Spartan squad that finished 11-2 and won the Chick Fil A Peach Bowl over Pittsburgh. During that season, he passed for 3,240 yards and 21 touchdowns. Thorne’s presence will definitely ramp up the quarterback battle with incumbent [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] heading into the fall.

Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire recently ranked each SEC quarterback following spring practice exercises and says that if Thorne can return to his 2021 form, that Auburn “should be a lot more dangerous on offense.”

Following the announcement of Thorne’s transfer to Auburn, we at Auburn Wire decided to do a breakdown of his ten best performances during his three-season career at Michigan State based on his final grade from Pro Football Focus.

From his coming out party at Penn State to his amazing performance at Rutgers, here’s a look at Payton Thorne’s best performances during his time at Michigan State.

Twitter reacts to Payton Thorne’s commitment to Auburn

Auburn Twitter is excited about the new addition to the QB room.

Auburn fans have patiently awaited the news for months regarding the addition of a quarterback from the transfer portal.

On Friday, they got their wish as former Michigan State quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] announced that he would be furthering his collegiate career at Auburn, where he will compete with [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] for the starting quarterback job in 2023.

Head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] welcomed several options for visits between the winter and spring windows of the portal but mentioned that he was being selective when it came to finding the right fit.

“Truthfully, I haven’t seen one yet that’s just, ‘Bam, that’s the no-brainer, and he’s ahead of the ones we have,’” Freeze said during a recent speaking engagement. “Every time a quarterback goes in the portal, (I say) ‘There he is! There he is!’ Then I watch the film, and I’m like, ‘No, that’s really not the one I’m looking for.’”

That all changed last weekend when Nebraska QB [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag] entered the transfer portal and paid a visit. However, the smoke concerning Thorne began to grow before he ultimately committed to the Tigers.

Following Thorne’s commitment, several Auburn fans took to Twitter to share their excitement for the newest member of the 2023 roster. Even Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State fans chimed in as well.

Here are the best social media reactions to Thorne’s commitment to Auburn.

Payton Thorne commits to Auburn

Hugh Freeze has his quarterback.

The news that Auburn fans have been eagerly awaiting to hear this week has finally arrived… [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] is an Auburn Tiger.

The highly-touted quarterback entered the transfer portal on April 30, the final day to declare for the spring transfer portal window. Since he arrived, he was heavily tied to Auburn, who had been on the hunt for a transfer portal quarterback that fit the new scheme set up by head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag].

On Friday, those suspicisions were put to bed as Thorne announced his commitment to Auburn.

Thorne threw for 6,493 yards and 49 touchdowns in three seasons at Michigan State. Last season, he threw for 200+ yards in nine games for the Spartans, and has 18 total games there he has passed for more than 200 yards.

Thorne will now enter the quarterback competiton with incumbent starter [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], redshirt freshman [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag], and incoming freshman [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag]. He has two season’s of eligibility remaining.

Here’s a look at some of Thorne’s key moments from the 2022 season:

WAR. DAMN. EAGLE. 🦅 Thank You Lord! @AuburnFootball pic.twitter.com/3GqFvWhP75

— Payton Thorne (@payton15thorne) May 5, 2023

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Looking back at T.J. Finley’s time at Auburn

Here’s a rewind of Finley’s two-year career as an Auburn quarterback.

The two-year Auburn career of quarterback [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] has officially come to a close, as he announced this week that he will enter the transfer portal as a graduate student once he receives his degree from Auburn University this upcoming weekend.

Finley transferred to Auburn after spending his freshman season at LSU, where he appeared in five games during the 2020 season. As a Bayou Bengal, Finley completed 80-of-140 passes for 941 yards and five touchdowns. His best game in purple and gold was against South Carolina on Oct. 24, 2020, when he completed 81% of his passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns in LSU’s 52-24 win over the Gamecocks.

Finley played a major role in Auburn’s 2021 matchup with Georgia State, as he led the Tigers to a last-minute scoring drive to avoid a monumental upset to the Panthers. He also took over the starting quarterback role for the final three games of the 2021 season after starter [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag] suffered an ankle injury in Auburn’s 43-34 loss to Mississippi State.

He assumed the role of starting quarterback for the 2022 season, beating out Oregon transfer [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag]. He would start in the Tigers’ first three games, but a shoulder injury he suffered against Penn State would end his season. He concluded the 2022 season by passing for 431 yards and a touchdown with four interceptions.

His Auburn career ends with 1,258 passing yards on 103-of-180 completions.

As Finley begins to embark on a new journey, here’s a look back at some of the key moments of his career at Auburn.

Hugh Freeze explains process of finding the perfect transfer portal quarterback

Hugh Freeze is being picky about transfer portal quarterbacks, and that could be a good thing.

As the second transfer portal window begins to wind down, many Auburn fans are wondering why there has been a lack of movement regarding [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the quarterbacks currently occupying the portal.

Don’t worry, he hears your concerns.

“I get the tweets’ trust me,” Freeze said at a recent “AMBUSH” engagement in Huntsville.

Freeze went on to say that he is very selective when it comes to finding the perfect quarterback not only for his scheme but for the program as a whole. His reasoning behind it should be reassuring to Auburn fans.

“Truthfully, I haven’t seen one yet that’s just, ‘Bam, that’s the no-brainer, and he’s ahead of the ones we have,’” Freeze said. “Every time a quarterback goes in the portal, (I say) ‘There he is! There he is!’ Then I watch the film, and I’m like, ‘No, that’s really not the one I’m looking for.’”

The current quarterback battle as it stands includes incumbent starter [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag], and redshirt freshman [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag]. True freshman [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag], who has not arrived on campus yet, will also be a contender this summer. If the “no-brainer” never arrives in the portal, Freeze will be content to develop the talent that he already has on his roster.

“I kind of get excited about Holden (Geriner) and Robby (Ashford) and, you know, T.J. (Finley) and Hank Brown, who’s coming in,” Freeze said. “Does that mean we won’t continue to look?… I’m going to be excited to coach the ones we have and improve them. At the same time, I don’t ever want to be perceived as someone who didn’t say exactly what I was thinking.”

The spring transfer portal window closes Sunday, April 30. Several big names that remain uncommitted include Cincinnati’s Ben Bryant and Nebraska‘s Casey Thompson.

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Ben Bryant becomes another transfer option for Auburn

Bryant has thrown for 5,853 yards over the last two seasons. Could Auburn use his services?

The final week of the spring transfer portal window is here. If Hugh Freeze and staff are looking to add another quarterback to the competition, the experience of former Cincinnati quarterback [autotag]Ben Bryant[/autotag] may be what they are looking for.

Bryant entered his name into the transfer portal last weekend after spending four seasons at Cincinnati, and one at Eastern Michigan. In his career as Cincinnati’s starting quarterback, he has tossed 3,285 yards and 23 touchdowns. Last season, he completed 61% of his passes for 2,732 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Bryant’s passing numbers are similar to what Freeze and offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag]’s quarterbacks are accustomed to doing, so if Auburn elects to pursue Bryant, he may fit in with the scheme well. He has one season of eligibility remaining, which could be a good buffer to allow [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] more time to learn the system.

In a recent post by Andrew Florio of BVM Sports, Auburn is listed as one of five great fits for Bryant.

The Tigers were heavily linked to Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall before he decided to return to the Chanticleers. Does Auburn still want to bring in a veteran signal caller? Robby Ashford has a lot of potential, but it would not hurt to bring in more competition. It still has Holden Geriner, a former four-star recruit, on the roster, so maybe Auburn just lets him compete for the job instead.

By entering his name into the transfer portal, Bryant is now the top available quarterback according to On3. Who else makes up the list?

Here’s a look at the top uncommitted quarterbacks who are currently in the transfer portal according to On3:

Freshman QB wants to have a say in Auburn’s ongoing battle

Freshman Hank Brown will be ready to compete once he arrives on campus this summer.

Now that spring practice has concluded, one thing is apparent about Auburn football’s quarterback battle… it is far from over.

Quarterbacks [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag], and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] each played adequate snaps in the abbreviated A-Day game back on April 8. But due to the cold, rainy conditions on that dreary Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, neither player was able to showcase exactly what they needed to do in order to separate themselves.

“I think you saw today that (Ashford) got the capability of making some plays. I thought he threw a really good seam ball in those conditions. I thought Holden (Geriner) threw some good balls. He missed a couple of reads on some RPOs I think, T.J. (Finley) did too,” Freeze said following Auburn’s A-Day game. “It’s kind of been that way all spring. Some real positives one day and some inconsistencies the next day. We’ve still got some time to help them improve, hopefully.”

Freeze has suggested that he is willing to dip into the transfer portal to find the right quarterback, but there is one player that is ready to have his shot at winning the quarterback battle.

[autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag], a three-star quarterback from Nashville that signed with Auburn as part of the 2023 signing class, has yet to arrive on campus. However, the ongoing quarterback battle has him excited to be able to show off what he can add to the Tigers’ offense.

“It’s definitely more motivation just for me to be ready,” Brown said in a recent interview with Jason Caldwell of Auburn Undercover. “When that time comes, to be able to compete with them, I’m super excited. I’m going to do whatever I can to help out.”

Brown is already familiar with [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag], as well as quality control coach [autotag]Kent Austin[/autotag], as he was once committed to Liberty before Freeze made the move to Auburn. He spent time on campus earlier this spring watching practice and says that he is impressed with what each quarterback brings to the table, and how they can help him become a better signal caller.

“It was really awesome to see how three or four different quarterback guys are able to help us,” Brown said. “They all have different strengths, so it’s going to be such a blessing to be able to get feedback from them at all times. Being able to work with them and help me get through the playbook and working with my mechanics, it’s going to be awesome.”

Brown completed 73% of his passes for 3,264 yards during Lipscomb Academy’s 13-0 championship run in 2022, tossing 47 touchdown passes. He was led by former Super Bowl-winning quarterback and current UAB head coach, Trent Dilfer.

Brown signed with Auburn during the early signing period as the No. 59 quarterback in the country, and the No. 34 player from Tennessee for the 2023 class.

Check out some of Brown’s senior year highlights here

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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Auburn interested in bringing new faces in during second transfer portal window

No position is off-limits for Auburn and Hugh Freeze when the transfer portal opens on April 15.

Spring ball is over for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers and the staff is is the roster evaluation stage. It is no secret that there are areas of the team that could use some improvement and Freeze has been vocal about his intentions to find the best possible fit for each position.

The quarterback position has been one of the biggest areas of concern for the roster. [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] and [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] are the three options currently on the roster and each leaves something to be desired.

“I feel better than I did 15 practices ago,” Freeze said after A-Day. “I think from this point, now until the end of fall camp, there’s so much that needs to happen for somebody to solidify being ‘the guy.’ I think all have improved. I think all are still inconsistent with some things.”

An article from Auburn Undercover written by Christian Clemente lists some candidates that Auburn pursued in the winter. These include Greyson McCall from Coastal Carolina and Devin Leary from N.C. State. Neither option worked out for the Tigers, but Freeze is still trying to make not only the quarterback position but the roster as a whole, as deep as he possibly can.

Other positions of interest include offensive line, wide receiver, defensive line, and linebacker.

The transfer portal opens again on April 15th. In just a few days, Freeze and company will be able to go back to trying to put together the roster that will get Auburn back on track.

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Paul Finebaum doubles down on Auburn’s need for a quarterback

The SEC analyst’s opinion on Auburn’s quarterback woes did not change following last Saturday’s A-Day game.

The quarterback battle at Auburn is one of the most anticipated not only in Auburn fans’ eyes but to college football fans across the country.

After hearing less than soothing reports during spring practice, the weather at Saturday’s A-Day game did not do the quarterbacks any favors, as all three contenders combined to throw just 12 passes in the cold, dreary atmosphere at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

In limited action, Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] says that he saw some positives out of [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag], and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag], but he also pointed out aspects of their game that he hopes to see improve.

“I think you saw today that (Ashford) got the capability of making some plays. I thought he threw a really good seam ball in those conditions. I thought Holden (Geriner) threw some good balls. He missed a couple of reads on some RPOs I think. T.J. (Finley) did too. It’s kind of been that way all spring. Some real positives one day and some inconsistencies the next day. We’ve still got some time to help them improve, hopefully.”

After watching the A-Day game on Saturday, radio show host and SEC Network personality Paul Finebaum shared his thoughts on the Birmingham radio show, McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.

He did not have much faith in Auburn’s quarterbacks before the game, and he remains true to his thoughts after watching the game.

“It didn’t change much, and the conclusion is still the same: I think Auburn needs a quarterback,” Finebaum said. “I talked to Hugh Freeze on Friday before the game and you could tell he was saying the right things, but deep down, he knows quarterbacks and he knows he doesn’t have a quarterback on his roster that’s capable of getting Auburn out of the morass that it’s currently in and to the next level. So I think he’ll be pretty active in the portal.”

The next window of the transfer portal opens on Saturday, April 15, and last 15 days until Sunday, April 30. Finebaum says that Freeze will need to work hard to find Auburn’s next quarterback if that is the route he chooses.

“Now what are the odds of him finding the quarterback at this late date? I mean they’re not great, but you don’t know what’s going on on other rosters that could open the door,” Finebaum said.

Freeze reeled in the nation’s No. 4 transfer portal class during the winter window, trailing just Colorado, LSU, and Florida State. Expect Freeze and staff to work the portal beginning this weekend to boost several positions ahead of the 2023 season.

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